For me Dubai is a city that always feels slightly at odds with its environment – this cutting-edge global hub striking out against the shifting timelessness of the desert. It’s not an issue that Anuryzm, a band born of this megalopolis, shares though as their debut album Worm’s Eye View suggests an air of comfort in their style of progressive metal.

This is despite numerous difficulties over the last 9 years, from overseas travels to the more tragic death of a bandmate, and it’s testament to their resolve not to let their music fall silent. Worm’s Eye View was actually released throughout the Middle East last year, but luckily for us this year’s re-release reaches wider shores. Much like Dubai itself, Anuryzm feel like a band that are striving to be at the forefront, not least demonstrated by the impressive feat of several major guest appearances on a debut album namely drummer Martin Lopez (Soen, Opeth, Amon Amarth), jazz bassist Rami Lakkis, and synth player Uri Dijk (Textures, Eternal).

This is certainly no timid dip-your-toe in debut, but a full-scale plunge into the deep end of the prog-metal pool. Well it is hot out there. Any armbands brought along are deemed unnecessary, as Worm’s Eye View is buoyed by its successes, far more than it is pulled down by any minor flaws. Keeping far more than Anuryzm’s head above water is Nadeem Biddy’s vocals, which as ‘Fragmenting The Soul’ immediately highlights, swing from gruff growls to from-inside emotives with stunning clarity.

‘Stargazing’ opens somewhere between ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and ‘The Unforgiven II’, whilst the title track is a thrashier number pulled along by its guitars, and book-ended between the sounds of an assassination attempt and an excerpt from the film ‘Network’. More average in length, ‘Killing Time’ is a wake-you-up-at-night catchy, jazzier number that finds its holds very quickly in the soaring vocals and tight instrumentation. In fact the two never feel like that are competing, despite the obviously high standard of each, as the songs are structured in such a way that they work together to elevate them.

‘Breaking The Ballot’ is another vote-stealer, setting the scene with the sounds of a world falling into chaos, it seems painfully appropriate to the situation of much of the world. For those striving for change, it probably equates to something close to an anthem, but beyond that the musicianship is first rate, whether its racing away or winding back. Musically things become even more intricate on 12-minute closer ‘Where Mockery Falls’, with the Opeth touch greatly heightened, as it moves from an atmospheric first half into something with fists, before lulling it back to sleep again.

From a worm’s perspective relatively everything looks big, but even back on a normal plane Anuryzm’s presence doesn’t diminish. Their shadow may not yet be as long as that of Dubai, but on the strength of Worm’s Eye View I’d advise being the early bird and picking these guys up whilst you can.